June 26, 2003 – LODD Assistant Chief Ralph Dawdy, EMT/SAR Coordinator, 47. Animas (NM) Fire and Rescue "Jenny Fire" in Gila National Forest Assistant Chief Dawdy was the driver of a military surplus 2-1/2 ton 6 by 6 vehicle that had been converted to a fire department tanker. The water tank capacity was 1,200 gallons. State-wide mutual aid assistance had been requested for a wildland fire in a national forest. Assistant Chief Dawdy drove the tanker; he was followed by another firefighter in a fire department SUV. The pair planned to spend a week on the fire shuttling water to brush trucks on the fire line. After traveling approximately 135 miles, Assistant Chief Dawdy was operating the tanker on a rough road within the forest. The road curved and sloped downhill. Assistant Chief Dawdy lost control of the tanker, it rolled over in the roadway, left the roadway and rolled over 3 more times before coming to rest on its wheels approximately 123 feet from the roadway in a canyon. Assistant Chief Dawdy was ejected during one of the early rolls and was crushed as the tanker rolled over him. The other firefighter following in the SUV came upon the crash and searched for Assistant Chief Dawdy. When he located him, the firefighter determined that Assistant Chief Dawdy was dead. Inspections of the tanker after the crash revealed that the brakes were 100-percent ineffective due to leaks at the master cylinder and slave cylinder. The brake fluid reservoir was empty at the time of the crash and a number of brake fluid containers were found aboard the tanker. In addition, the tanker was not equipped with seatbelts.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 12:06:55 +0000
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